DEAR MILES, My friend and I trained together for a race, and I assumed we'd run it together, too. But once it started, she took off. What gives?—CARLY G., Dallas

It sounds like your priority was to share the experience with your friend. And your friend's priority was to kick butt. Which is fine; different people race for different reasons. Clearly you would have benefited from knowing your friend's intent before she dropped you, but hey, don't take it personally. Next time, discuss your race plans ahead of time. And wish each other good luck before the gun goes off, while you still can.

I think that stepping on a banana peel isn't nearly as hilarious as cartoons and old movies have led us to believe. And that stepping in gum is messy and irritating. Flinging either of these onto a street, sidewalk, or trail is downright rude. (The cops have another word for it: littering. And for the record, with a handful of exceptions, no, gum does not decompose.) Now, in fairness, you don't say where you guys run. I suppose that if you run in landfills, expelling your gum midstride is fine.

TWEET MILES

DEAR MILES, Is there such a thing as too short when it comes to running shorts?

Oh, definitely yes. To paraphrase the old definition of obscenity: You know "too short" when you see it. And then you wish that you hadn't.